Facts and Figures

Did you know?

By the time we reach 40 years of age, half of us will have had or will develop a mental health problem. Between 19.6% and 26.2% of British Columbians – somewhere around one million people – will experience a mental illness each year.

An estimated 84,000 children and youth in BC have a diagnosed mental disorder, and yet less than one-third of those children are receiving mental health services. That means that as many as 58,000 children in BC are not receiving the treatment they need.

An estimated 68,000 youth between the ages of 15 and 24 meet the criteria for a substance use disorder and only 24 publicly funded treatment beds to serve our youth.

Right now, we are paying for mental illness in the most expensive way possible because we are waiting too long to provide access to treatment and services. We are waiting until the point of crisis. That means too many long-term disability claims, hospital stays, and jail instead of the right treatment. Right now, in British Columbia, mental health problems cost our economy an estimated $6.6 billion annually.